[Magic]

Howdy - New member, new fan here.

I started reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen in December 2012 and am now about 25% in to Dust of Dreams. Another Malazan fan told me (insisted, in fact) that I that I stop reading and go back and read Return of the Crimson Guard. He said I won't understand some things that happen and important events take place in RotCG. I'm sure they do, but I started RotCG before DoD (good lord, I feel like I am writing about the bureaucracies of the Malazan Empire) and found the change in the writing a bit jarring (not bad, just different) and disconcerting as I had been reading the Erikson books as one book. This far into the series, I would like to continue on and finish. I will go back and read RotCG after The Crippled God, but it may be too late to enjoy it by then. It is just hard to switch "horses" at this point. Is he right? Should I stop immediately and read RotCG? I also have found and am following along with the Tor.com re-read and don't want to get behind in that. I am ahead at the moment. (I skipped the reread of RotCG, of course.)

Thanking you in advance. I know the reading order is a big topic here, but I could not find a thread that addressed this specific "stop reading and go back" issue. Probably a search thing. I was also a little afraid of spoilers.

[HoosierDaddy]

You'll be fine to continue Erikson's books and then go back and read Esslemonts. Granted, things will be spoiled in Esslemont's books by Erikson's, but I always viewed Esslemont as "extra reading" while Erikson is required in the Malazan sequence.

[worry]

Someone else had this exact same problem recently, in the TTH forum. Basically it depends on how upset you'd be made by mysterious sideways references to off-screen events, and very occasionally wondering why Character X, Y, or Z didn't appear in the finale. I didn't read any ICE books until after DoD and I never felt like it spoiled much for me (except who Traveler was, even though it's kinda obvious before TTH anyway, and you're past that point already too). I think it's fine, since you're already where you are, to finish SE and then read ICE as a chunk too. Especially since Night of Knives comes before RotCG anyway, so you're skipping that for no particular reason already if you switch over.

The only other thing is that some big events DO take place in ICE books (particularly RotCG and Stonewielder, for purposes of chronology), and depending on how perceptive you are, the sideways references I mention above might actually constitute spoilers. I'm sort of a dim bulb, so I didn't pick up on their full meanings in SE, but results may vary for you.

[Defiance]

Off the top of my head, there is only one major spoiler for ICE's books in Erikson's series. I don't think it will ruin your enjoyment at all. At most, when you come across it, you'll be like "huh, what the hell?" and keep on reading.

Personally, I'd just finish Erikson's books and then move onto ICE's.

[Kanese S's]

You could go either way. I read all of Erikson's before Esslemont's, and still enjoyed the latter's books as well, but I don't mind spoilers much.

[Magic]

Thank you for all your swift replies! I usually hate spoilers, but at this point, it is hard to avoid them anyway. I think my Malazan lovin' friend really, really likes Return of the Crimson Guard and is a big Crimson Guard fan so wants me to read it. However, i do see his point but it is hard to switch at this point in the story.